Au Pair Misses Date To Respond to Suit In Baby Boy's Death

Published: July 10, 1998

BOSTON, July 9—
Louise Woodward, the British au pair convicted in the death of an 8-month-old child in her care, has failed to respond to a lawsuit filed by the parents of the baby, and a Federal court automatically ruled against her today, meaning a judge can determine how much she must pay in damages.

The court issued a default order, which is rare in Federal cases. Ms. Woodward can challenge the order any time before Judge William G. Young of Federal District Court decides on damages, but her lawyer in England said she could not afford to fight the wrongful-death suit.

''Quite simply, she is not in a financial position to defend the action in America,'' her lawyer, Peter Quinn, said. ''It's not an admission of guilt. She maintains her innocence.''

By failing to reply to the June 16 suit, Ms. Woodward, 20, waived her right to a trial.

The suit, filed by Sunil and Deborah Eappen, the parents of 8-month-old Matthew, also tries to bar Ms. Woodward from profiting from her story.

Ms. Woodward returned to England last month after Massachusetts' highest court upheld a manslaughter conviction and sentence of 279 days she had already served since her February 1997 arrest.

The Eappens hope to collect a seven-figure judgment in compensatory and punitive damages, said their lawyer, Fredric Ellis. Legal experts said a damage award should be relatively easy to enforce in England.